Fool Me Once
by iwritefiction
Summary: So, Sonny's feeling a little sick. After the Chad without a chance debacle, will any of the victims of her prank believe her?  SPOILERS CHAD WITHOUT A CHANCE! One-shot. Note: Reposted because I edited a note, story is the same


This story was inspired by the episode of Sonny with a Chance called Chad without a Chance. If you haven't already seen it, and have plans to, DO NOT read this story. It's based on and recaps the episode. While watching the episode, for some reason the saying 'fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me' came to mind. So, I decided to write a little fic to see what would happen to Sonny if she were to actually be sick after pulling that little stunt. Better yet, what if her mom wasn't around to be awesome and believe her. What if the only people that could help her were victims of her prank? Will her cast - mates or boyfriend believe her? Let's find out. BTW, it's a one- shot.

Fool Me Once…

This is what you get for crying wolf, right? I can't believe that one simple, harmless prank with good intentions could get my so-called friends and boyfriend against me. How'd we get here again? Oh, yeah….

A short while ago, Sonny Munroe, actress on So Random! and girlfriend of Chad Dylan Cooper (the star of Mackenzie Falls) had played an innocent little prank on her cast mates and boyfriend in an attempt to make them like each other. Or at the very least get along better than they do.

She pretended to be sick and had her boyfriend fill in for her and help each member of the So Random cast with whatever problem it was that she usually helped them with. Help Nico snag a girl, breakup with the guys Tawni is over, wear a padded bodysuit so Zora could practice hitting her, and, possibly the most important, have a special talk with Grady. These talks were the only thing keeping him sane. Well, close to it, anyway.

She thought it was simple enough. She relaxes on the beach for a day, and while she's away, through all the hardships they'd have to endure, her show family and boyfriend would bond. At least a little. Hopefully.

Unfortunately, they eventually decided to call her and see how she was doing. Though both thoughtful and cute, the move was what eventually got her caught. You see, when her boyfriend innocently enough decided to check on her, Sonny's mom told him exactly where she was and what she was doing. Nico, Grady, Zora, Tawni, and Chad rushed to the beach to bust her in action.

Sonny admitted what she had done, and why. After all, how could she be happy with her best friend and boyfriend always at war? And they had understood, or so it seemed. But now, when she really was sick, not one of them believed her. Oh, this was gonna be a long week.

Sonny Munroe groaned as she walked into her dressing room. She had just felt kind of … off all day. She was glad that the episode of So Random had been shot, it meant her day was finally over.

Her cast mate Tawni, with whom she shared her dressing room, looked up as Sonny walked in. She was almost concerned about her brunette almost – like – a - friend. Sonny's mother had gone to Wisconsin to her parents, and Sonny was supposed to be staying at her house until Mrs. Munroe came back. And Tawni would not have a mopey houseguest. After all, having people over was supposed to be fun! And about her! NOT Sonny.

"What's the matter? Having boy troubles?" asked Tawni. She gave a knowing grin and then said, "Go on, tell Tawni all about what Chad's doing wrong now." Tawni leaned back in her seat, waiting and ready to help Sonny with her problems before they got home. Because once they got home, the party'd better never stop! Tawni had even made a list of all her favorite things to do. And they'd better get through that list by the time Sonny's mom came home at the end of the week. And if Sonny was too busy moping around, it wouldn't be any fun.

Sonny, however, just sighed in response and said,

"Chad hasn't done anything. It's me. I'm really tired. Maybe I'm getting sick or something."

Tawni's first instinct was to jump back and stay as far away from Sonny as possible. She couldn't get sick now! She finally had a solo sketch. A sketch that just required her, Tawni Hart. It was going to be her jump into fame. Movie stardom was just one sketch away. And if she got sick before she could perform it… no, Tawni couldn't let herself even think those types of thoughts.

Then Tawni remembered how Sonny had faked sick to get the cast and Chad closer. And they had been united for all of five seconds when they realized they had been tricked and ganged up on Sonny. Tawni was fully aware it was not below Sonny to pretend she was getting sick to get what she wanted. And while she hadn't quite figured out what exactly it was that Sonny wanted, she knew it might interfere with Tawni Time, and Tawni's other plans for the week. Tawni couldn't just sit there and let this happen!

"Haha, Sonny. Like I'd fall for that stupid trick twice. You know what they say, 'Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.' And I will not be shamed again!" With that, Tawni dramatically left the room, leaving Sonny all alone.

Sonny sighed as Tawni left. Sure she was feeling a little off, but maybe she was just tired after a long week of work, or just missed having her mom around. Maybe she wasn't getting sick after all.

I mean sure her throat was a little sore, like the start of a cold, but she also got slightly sore throats when she couldn't or didn't sleep very well the night before. Last night she couldn't fall asleep thinking of being away from home and her mom for a whole week, and how she'd have to spend that whole week with the Harts. Sure the Harts were nice, in small doses. But a whole week of living and working with Tawni was sure to drive her insane.

And sure she had a headache. But, again, she didn't sleep very well the night before and had been working hard all day. You can get headaches from either one of those things, right?

And now, Sonny had to go home with Tawni. She would have to do whatever it was that Tawni had planned. She could only hope that a lot of beauty sleep was on the agenda. Hopefully after some sleep she'd feel a lot better.

While she was grabbing a few things from around the dressing room to make her stay at the Hart's more comfortable, Chad Dylan Cooper walked in.

"Hey, Sonny. All ready to spend a week with the Hart's?" Chad asked.

"Not really," Sonny replied. "But I guess I have to. It's not like I have any other choice, right?" She sighed again.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Chad was kind of concerned. Sonny didn't look too happy. She was almost always smiling and bubbly.

Sonny shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I've just been feeling kind of… off all day."

"Off?" Chad asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I've been feeling kind of… I don't know, kind of tired. And I have a headache. My throat's a little sore, too."

"Huh," said Chad. "I didn't think you were that kind of girl, Sonny."

"What are you talking about Chad?"

"You are pretty creative. So why would you use the same fake story to trick us again?"

"What? I'm not trying to trick you, Chad. Why would I trick you?"

"I don't know. Maybe this is some kind of master plot. Oh, I've got it! You're trying to trick me into thinking you're sick because you know that everyone knows Tawni and her mother are germaphobes, and if you convince them you're sick, your mom will have no choice but to let you stay elsewhere, like at my house! That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of it? I mean the Harts are going to want to keep Tawni away from you with that big sketch of Tawni's coming up, this has got to be the most brilliant idea ever! I'll go make plans of what we can do when my parents finally go to bed! This week will be awesome!" With that exclamation, Chad left the room to make plans.

Great, thought Sonny. Now Chad thinks I'm faking and scheming too. Sonny sighed and decided to go wait in the prop house. At least there was a super comfy couch she could lay on in there.

When she arrived at the prop house, both Nico and Grady were already there. They were playing some game or another on the other side of the room. Hearing her arrive, they both looked up and in her direction. As she walked in, Nico greeted her saying,

"Hey, Sonny. What's the matter, sad about your mom being away?"

"Yeah, Sonny," chimed in Grady, "I know I'd be sad if I had to stay with Tawni for a whole week."

Sonny considered telling the guys she felt ill, but seeing how both Tawni and Chad had thought she was faking, she decided against it. Instead she said,

"Yeah, I miss my mom. I didn't get much sleep last night either. I'm just going to rest on the couch until Tawni's ready to leave, okay?"

Nico and Grady nodded and told her they'd try to keep it down so she could maybe get a nap in. After all, it'd take a lot of energy to deal with overly dramatic Tawni Hart for a whole week.

Sonny woke up, and was surprised to find that she had gotten about three whole hours of sleep in. She'd thought Tawni would have woken her up to go home by then. Also, her head didn't hurt any worse, but her throat did. That could only mean that the sore throat and headache were not from lack of sleep. Crap, crap, crap, Sonny was actually getting sick, and the only person who'd believe her wasn't even in the state and wouldn't be for a whole week. Since all of her Californian friends were on the receiving end of her little prank, they'd all think she was like she was sick in order to get something. Now, both Tawni and Chad were prepping for a whole week of fun, none of which she'd have because she'd be too busy convincing them she was actually sick, and would like nothing better then to sleep.

Zora bounded into the prop house. She had come up with a sketch for Sonny, Grady, Nico, and herself to be in this week. She had decided to go to the prop house to see if anyone was there. That way, she could run her ideas by them and get a second, maybe even third, opinion before turning it in to Marshall for approval.

But the only person in the prop house was Sonny. Zora looked over at Sonny. She was about to ask her about the sketch, but Sonny seemed… almost sick. Zora wasn't sure if a person as creative as Sonny would pull the same prank twice, but it had worked well for her once and might just work again. So, she decided to ask Sonny what was wrong, but she'd have to proceed with caution.

"So, Sonny. How's it going? You feeling okay? What, with your mom gone and having to spend a week with the Hart's, I'd think I'd be feeling pretty sick about now…" Zora was trying to draw a confession out of her. Most people were a bit smarter, and would never fall for the things Zora said. But Zora worked with a bunch of teen actors and, well, lets just say they're not the smartest bananas in the bunch. If Sonny was faking, Zora figured she'd draw some kind of hint at what she was trying to do with these questions.

Sonny didn't want to tell Zora she was sick. Zora might react like Chad and Tawni had. At the same time, Zora was the smartest cast member. If anyone would believe her, if only because she checked and figured it out herself, Zora would be the cast member to do it. So, Sonny decided to tell her. After all, you didn't have to be big to care. Small, and sometimes evil, Zora had a much larger heart than people gave her credit for. Also, if Zora believed her, she could convince the others that she wasn't just faking to get something.

"The truth is, I feel like I'm coming down with something. I don't want to ruin the Hart's week; I know how much Tawni is looking forward to that sketch, and I don't think Mrs. Hart or Tawni are very good at taking care of people when they're sick, but I don't think my mom will be too happy if I stay at Chad's, and my head hurts too much to think about it right now."

"Huh," said Zora. She wasn't quite sure if Sonny was faking or not. Sonny had no motive she knew of and she did look pretty pale, but Zora didn't know everything about Sonny and was sure that she'd play sick to get out of staying with the Harts, too. Plus, Sonny was always pale. She could have just used some make - up to look paler.

Zora looked straight into Sonny's eyes. They seemed a little glazed over like a sick persons – and that's a bit harder to fake. Next, she gently placed her palm against Sonny's forehead and, just to be sure, flipped her hand over and tested again.

"So, not faking this time. Don't worry, I believe you." Zora started to pace and think things over.

_Yup_, thought Zora. _Sonny's definitely, actually sick. No way that the Harts take her in. No way Tawni risks catching whatever Sonny has and getting sick before her sketch. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that Tawni's mom has no idea how to take care of a sick person. I know that Tawni used to have a nanny to do all that for her. I'm also pretty sure that they no longer have a nanny. Now that Tawni was older, they had a housekeeper for cooking and cleaning who left by evening._

_My mom, on the other hand, is much better at taking care of people. I know I often come off as weird and strange, but my mom is definitely one of the most awesome, down-to-earth people I know. I think she and Sonny would hit it off, and I think Sonny needs someone like her more than someone like Mrs. Hart right now._

As Zora thought over all of this in her mind, Sonny had managed to drift off again. Zora grinned – she wasn't going to give Sonny the option of going home with the Harts. It was about time Sonny met her mother anyways. With this thought in mind, she whipped out her cell phone and walked away from the couch.

"Hey, mom. Remember that girl I work with, Sonny? The one I keep telling you about? Well, she's a little under the weather, and her mom's out of town. Do you mind if I bring her home with me so we can take care of her?"

Zora's mother thought it was so nice of Zora to bring Sonny home when she was sick. She knew Zora didn't like to bring people over a lot because, in spite of one of their daughters working on TV, their family didn't really have a lot of money. It was hard when you were raising 7 kids. That's why she was a homemaker – someone needed to be home at all times. Even with her husband and daughter working full time, their house wasn't exactly the nicest. They didn't even have a guest room, so someone, most likely Zora, would have to give it up if Sonny were actually coming to sleep over for any length of time. * So, she instantly agreed.

Zora then told her mother that because Mrs. Munroe had already met them, she had made plans for her daughter to spend the week with the Hart's. Zora was going to have to ask for permission from Mrs. Munroe and tell Mrs. Hart before bringing Sonny home.

After talking to her mother, Zora stole, well, borrowed, Sonny's phone. Sonny was still fast asleep. Zora scrolled through the phonebook and looked for Sonny's mother's cell number and hit the call button.

Mrs. Munroe answered on the first ring with a, "Hey, honey how's living with the Harts?"

"Actually, Mrs. Munroe, this is Zora."

"Oh, hi, Zora sweetie. I could have sworn I heard Sonny's ringtone."

"You did, Mrs. Munroe. I'm calling from Sonny's phone, actually. I wanted to ask you something." "Oh, okay sweetie. What do you need?"

"Well, the thing is, Sonny has a cold…"

"Sonny's sick? Does she need me to come home?"

"No, nothing that serious. But, I don't think the Hart's are the best people to deal with a sick houseguest."

"You're probably right. Sonny told me all about that sketch Tawni is going to be in."

"Yes, well, I already asked my mom, and she has no problem with us taking Sonny in this week. I was just calling to ask permission for Sonny to come stay with us instead." "Wow, Zora. Sonny was right; you really are wise beyond your years and quite sweet when you want to be. I think that's a wonderful idea. I'll send a text with the number to the house I'll be at, in addition to my cell, so you can forward it to your mom, and she can call me when she needs to know anything about how to best treat Sonny when she has a cold."

Zora agreed. What she didn't tell Mrs. Munroe is that her mother didn't have a cell phone. While both she and her father had them so they could be reached at work, and her two oldest brothers had taken part- time jobs so they could pay for theirs (also how they got spending money), and her younger brothers and mom didn't have one. Zora had three older and three younger brothers. Coming from a large family of mostly boys, Zora had learned how to prank like a pro and be just a bit strange or weird. Though her family was a bit eccentric, so was Sonny, which is why Zora was sure she'd fit right in. She was also sure that of all the So Random cast, Sonny was the only one who would understand living in a house that wasn't quite as nice or new as everyone else's in Hollywood. Sonny may also be the only one who'd understand her brothers having to share their bedrooms. They actually had five bedrooms in the house. Zora's parent's room, Zora's room, and three rooms shared by two brothers each. Zora's room didn't have an extra bed, so Zora would most likely have to sleep on the couch, but she was learning to let the other cast members into her life more, and the most accepting one was Sonny. Sonny catching a cold was a pretty good catalyst for Zora to finally have a house guest, as unsavory as the idea had been in the past, it might be nice to share her family a little with Sonny.

Since Zora had gotten permission from both Mrs. Munroe and her mother to have Sonny over this week, she decided she ought to call both Mrs. Hart and Tawni to let them know. On the off chance that Mrs. Hart was home, Zora called their house number.

Surprising, Mrs. Hart answered. Zora had figured that she'd be out shopping or getting her nails done; something girly that both she and Tawni loved to do.

Zora explained that she had called Mrs. Munroe and asked for Sonny to sleep over. Mrs. Hart didn't seem to care very much; she never did seem to care unless the topic was her daughter's acting. Having gotten that over with, Zora went to find Tawni.

Zora finally found her in the dressing room.

"Oh, there you are, Zora! You haven't seen Sonny anywhere, have you? I was looking around, but I can't seem to find her."

Zora didn't say what she was thinking, which was, must not have been looking too hard, seeing as how she's in the prop house.

Instead, Zora said, "Actually, Sonny's sick. She's sleeping in the prop house."

"Sonny's sick? Wait a minute, no she's not, she's totally faking! I knew she'd try to steal my spotlight! She's faking because now, I'll have to pretend to care about her instead of having her help me rehearse my sketch!"

"No, Tawni, she's not faking. I'm positive. I'll be taking her home with me, so you can rehearse your sketch with your mom or someone else. You don't have to pretend to be concerned about her at all. I've already called Mrs. Munroe, and your mom."

Tawni breathed out a sigh of relief. She didn't want to have to deal with a sick person during her most crucial week of preparation. Thank God Zora really, truly cared a lot more than she ever let on. This was great news for her. Her mother would probably be more helpful anyway.

"That's really nice of you, Zora. To think of me in my time of need. When I'm a lot more famous, and richer than the rest of the people who work on this show, I'll remember you did this, and let you piggyback off of my fame all you want. If I don't have to wait around for Sonny, I'll just go home now. Bye!"

And with that, Tawni was gone. Zora looked around the room. Hanging out in strange places like the vents of this room, she had learned a lot about what her fellow female cast mates couldn't live without. She began packing the few, more sentimental items of Sonny's into a bag. She knew that Sonny probably thought that she would be back the next day or so and had only packed the necessities. Zora also knew her mother wouldn't let Sonny out of her sight until she was completely well. Knowing it might be a whole week before Sonny was allowed out of her house, Zora packed a scrapbook of Sonny's Wisconsin friends, a few of her favorite stuffed animals, and Sonny's notebook. Sonny had a composition book in her dressing room and on her nightstand at home. It was so that whenever she was struck with an idea for a sketch, or just some random, but important (to Sonny anyway) fact, she jotted it down in barely legible, rushed writing. Whenever she had writer's block, she would whip out one her notebooks and begin to read through them. It was strange; the number of great ideas a girl could have when not trying to at all. When she was trying to, they often wouldn't come to her, and that was when her notebook helped her most. Zora was sure that cooped up in a room, bored out of her mind, Sonny would have at least a few great ideas. It could also provide as entertainment for her to read through. When she was done, Zora called her mom, as she usually did, for a ride. Though this time, she requested that her eldest brother, Mathew come and pick her up, in case Sonny needed help getting out to the car. Mathew was a football player in high school, and the only one home that was strong enough to carry Sonny out if need be. A true Renaissance man, he was sweet, sensitive, strong, and one of the smartest guys you'll ever meet. He was the reason why Zora was so much better at schoolwork then her peers. If she really wanted too, though she was 12, she could get her GED thanks to everything he had helped her learn before she had even gotten on the show.

After she called her mom, Zora grabbed Sonny's things and went back to the prop house. Sonny was still there fast asleep. Zora decided to let her, no point in waking her up until her brother got there.

When her brother arrived, Zora went out to greet him. He wasn't allowed in the building without getting a visitor's pass and in order to get a visitor's pass, she needed to be with him.

Once that had all been straightened out, Zora led her brother to the prop house. He had only been there once or twice before, he was busy between school (he was in the dual enrollment program at the community college. In addition to regular high school classes, he attended one or two classes per term at the community college), football, his part – time job at the local supermarket (which saved his family tons on necessities), and church (where he helped out with a few of the volunteer committees). Zora may not seem like your stereotypical Christian, but she was one nonetheless, and her whole family was very active in their church. Zora, who spent most of her hours at work, didn't participate in as many church activities as the rest of her family.

Zora woke Sonny up and introduced her cute, hot older brother.

"Hey, Sonny. I called and got permission from your mom; you're coming home with me tonight. This is my oldest brother, Matt." Matt smiled at Sonny before starting to speak himself.

"It's short for Mathew. But I'm sure Zora's already told you all about how my parent's named their first four boys after the gospels and the youngest two James and Peter after the disciples."

Sonny didn't want to out Zora for never having mentioned too much of her family life. So instead she asked, "Wait a minute, then where'd they get the name Zora?"

Mathew and Zora grinned. It was a question asked of Zora a lot, especially when they found out what the rest of her siblings where called.

Zora explained, "My parents named me after their favorite author, Zora Neale Hurston. I think they wanted me to be an author or poet. Also, they met in high school. In an English class, they were assigned a project on Zora Neale Hurston and fell in love with her work and each other."

"Aww, that's the cutest thing I've ever heard!"

"So, Sonny," began Matt. "I hear you're not feeling so good."

Sonny blushed and shook her head no. It was just a little bit strange and awkward for her to tell this awesome guy she just met that she felt sick. It wasn't that she had a crush on him or anything; for goodness's sake she had a boyfriend! No, Sonny was just a cheery, upbeat person, and didn't want the first things she said to a new friend to be so… negative.

"So, do you need help getting to the car? Do you want to lean on me, maybe?"

Leaning on him, she could live with that. So she said, "That'd be really helpful, thanks." Zora grabbed her brother's keys and all of Sonny's things, and went out ahead of them to the car.

Sonny leaned against Matt, and couldn't help but think, Wow, he's got a really solid body. His muscles are so well – defined. I wish Chad were this solid. As she was thinking these thoughts, a dreamy look came over her face. Which was rather unfortunate because who else could they run into but her boyfriend, Chad Dylan Cooper.

"Sonny!" yelled a shocked CDC. "What the heck are you doing? And who the heck are you?" he shouted at Matt.

"Chad, calm down. This is Matt. He's Zora's older brother. He's helping me out to the car because I'm sick, and I'm going to spend the week sleeping over at their house. I'm sorry. I know you thought I was faking again, but the truth is, I wasn't. I really am sick."

"Wow, okay, Sonny. I really thought you were faking this time. Hey dude, can I talk to you over here a second?" he asked Matt.

Matt made sure Sonny was sitting, propped against the wall, before walking to the opposite side of the very wide hall where Chad was standing. In hushed tones, Chad began to speak.

"Look, I really appreciate you taking her home, I do. But I need you to promise me that NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING will happen between you, and milady."

Matt smiled at him. "No problem, Chad. Is that all that's bothering you, or…"

"One more thing. Can you text me your address and home phone number. I want to be able to check on her everyday. I promise not to come over before calling the house first and checking that it's okay with everyone."

"No problem, man."

Chad kissed his girlfriend on the forehead before telling her that he'd miss her, call every day, and try to visit as much as possible. Then he said his goodbye and goodnight, kissed her cheek, and left.

Matt helped Sonny up, and then helped her out to his car. It was old, and not exactly the nicest, but it was his. He'd bought it with his own money and fixed it up a bit with his hands so it was his pride and joy.

As he got out to his car, he remembered that Chad was rich. He had forgotten about how Zora didn't really like having Hollywood guests over. They would judge a bit harshly since they were used to far nicer things then their run-down home. Then he remembered the sweet kisses that Chad had placed on Sonny's forehead and cheek. He knew that Chad wouldn't care what their house looked like; he'd only really be interested in Sonny. If Chad dared to make an inappropriate crack at their house, he could take Chad, no problem. He probably wouldn't need to though. The youngest two would probably (literally) try to eat him alive.

Matt smiled. He knew Zora didn't always like to open up to other people, especially the ones she worked with. Inviting Chad over would push her out of her comfort zone, sure. But it was a good push in the right direction.

Zora smiled. As her brother drove home, she thought about what she had accomplished. She had opened up and allowed one of the nicest girls she knew to come over. Sure, said girl was sick. But for Zora, this was a great, giant leap to having more female friends.

Laying down in the back seat of Matt's car, Sonny smiled. A couple of hours ago, she thought no one would believe she was sick, and she would be forced to take care of herself until her mom came home. She didn't know why Zora, of all the people she worked with, believed her. She had never been to Zora's house, and knew very little about her family. She had heard rumors of course, things about how Zora's family was near broke trying to raise a lot of kids. She never knew Zora had six brothers. SIX! As an only child, she couldn't even imagine what it must be like. And she was looking forward to finding out.

Sonny knew it was going to suck being sick. She also knew that it would suck even more in a strange house with people she barely knew. But she was happy about it. She had wanted to know Zora a lot better for some time now; it looks like her wish had been granted.

The End.

So, that was a bit strange, and for me really long. As I said, it started when I watched the episode of Chad without a Chance. I've always liked Zora and wished they showed her more/ more about her life outside of the studio. She's a bit eccentric and I love her for it. Which lead us to the ***** I have no idea what Zora's last name is, so I purposefully left it out. (NOTE: After posting this fic, I remembered her last name was Lancaster. Before I could repost it, I got about three comments telling me. Thanks for being on top of that. But, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever learned Grady or Nico's last name. Do any of you know?)

I decided to make Zora's family serious Christians for no reason other than I couldn't think of names for them all. I don't know what possessed me to give Zora six brothers, but I wanted to name them all, even if they never made an appearance in this story.

I made Matt all hot and stupid cute so that Chad could be jealous and make a second appearance.

When I write, I don't usually plan out what's going to happen. I'm sure that if I did, my writing would be a lot better, but I don't. This is practically a free – write that I post with very little editing. If you find a mistake, feel free to mention it in a review, and I might just change and rewrite this.

Also, feel completely free to write a sequel or whatever. I won't be.

Well, that's all for now. Till next time, iwritefiction.


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